1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to protective garments for animals, such as dogs, and in particular to an insulated coat for a dog. While the invention, as will be apparent, is designed to be useful for many different four-legged domestic animals, it is principally directed to the dog and for this reason and for simplicity of discussion, the dog will be exclusively referred to hereafter.
2. Description of Related Art
Prior to the domestication of canines, there was seldom any discussion of whether a dog's physiology, physique, fur and other physical characteristics were suitable for the environment which it inhabited. Natural selection made relatively quick work of canines that were unsuited for their surroundings. This natural selection ultimately resulted in the establishment of bloodlines for particular breeds. Bloodlines assured, among other things, that desirable genetic characteristics of the bloodline flourished, while other less desirable attributes became attenuated over time.
With the domestication of canines, the environmentally-specific physical attributes of a dog tended to become less important to the dog's survival and more central to a dog's attractiveness as a pet. Dogs were taken into the home and moved to new locales, and climates, with their roving owners. A long-haired arctic dog might find himself in Miami, while a Mexican Chihuahua might find himself in Antarctica.
The use of dog coats is known in the prior art. More specifically, dog coats heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of protecting dogs from inclement weather are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, not withstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless other objectives and requirements.
Prior art dog coats have generally failed to provide comfortable protection against cold weather for the animal. Such prior art garments often irritate a dog when the dog's chest cavity expands due to laying down or during heavy exercise. For example, several known dog coats use belts that get fastened around a dog's back and chest to secure a coat on the dog. A common shortcoming of these coats is the inability of the belts to expand with a dog's chest cavity. Another shortcoming of certain known dog coats is they lack a configuration that permits a dog to urinate and defecate freely while wearing a coat. Still another shortcoming of certain known dog coats is the complexity involved in putting the dog coat on a dog.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.